The core idea
Responsible use requires competent care, suitable conditions and the ability to stop or change a job. Visitors can avoid creating pressure, ask concrete questions and choose a different plan when welfare cannot be adequately addressed.
1. Look at the whole working day
Equines are the horse family, including horses, donkeys and mules. Working equines may carry loads or pull vehicles. The job includes waiting, travelling, loading and returning, not only the minutes purchased by a customer. A journey that looks short to one visitor may follow several earlier tasks. This is why 'it is only one ride' is a weak way to judge welfare.
The AWBI’s 29 August 2022 procedure concerns equines on hilly or mountainous routes. It addresses registration, veterinary examination, acclimatisation and route capacity. These are setting-specific arrangements involving responsible authorities and professionals. They do not give a visitor a universal formula for deciding that any animal can carry any person or load.
Sources: AWBI: SOP for equines in hilly or mountainous terrain, 29 August 2022 ↗
2. A load is more than a number
The demand of a task changes with slope, surface, weather, distance, equipment and the individual animal’s condition. A balanced-looking bundle does not prove that it is appropriate. Harness means the equipment that connects, controls or supports the load on a working animal. Its fit and condition require knowledgeable attention; a visitor should not tighten straps, adjust equipment or improvise padding.
Ask the operator how route and weather decisions are made, who checks the animal’s fitness and what happens if a journey must stop. Seek the current arrangements applicable at that location. Do not turn an old poster, a national advisory or a seller’s assurance into a claim that all local requirements have been met.
Sources: AWBI: SOP for equines in hilly or mountainous terrain, 29 August 2022 ↗ · WOAH/OIE Terrestrial Code chapter 7.12: welfare of working equids, 2022 edition ↗
3. Remove pressure that encourages poor decisions
A schedule with no room for delay can turn ordinary requests into pressure to hurry. Organisers should allow time for rest arrangements, queues and changes of plan. Do not demand extra luggage after an agreement, offer extra payment to bypass safeguards or insist that a struggling animal continue. Polite treatment of handlers and firm welfare expectations belong together.
A handler’s livelihood deserves respect, but payment does not make every request acceptable. Agree cancellation and alternative arrangements in advance. If there is a concerning visible injury or repeated difficulty moving, describe what you saw to the responsible operator or site authority and ask for professional assessment. Do not attempt a physical examination, force movement or crowd the animal.
Sources: WOAH/OIE Terrestrial Code chapter 7.12: welfare of working equids, 2022 edition ↗
4. Worked situation: a timetable that fails
A group has an illustrative 150-minute window before a fixed onward departure. The organiser has allowed 45 minutes for each journey direction and 20 minutes at the destination. That leaves 150 − 45 − 45 − 20 = 40 minutes. A further 25 minutes is needed for the planned queue and arrangements, leaving only 15 minutes for everything unexpected. These are planning estimates, not safe work or rest limits for animals.
The operator says a weather-related delay may exceed that margin. The group cannot solve this by asking animals to move faster or skipping required breaks. It changes the onward booking or selects an accessible alternative visit. The reasoning is to remove the impossible deadline before committing. A humane timetable allows a responsible person to say 'stop' without creating an avoidable crisis.
Does the timetable leave room for change?
| Part of trip | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Outward and return journeys | 90 |
| At destination | 20 |
| Queue and arrangements | 25 |
| Remaining margin | 15 |
| Total window | 150 |
Sources: AWBI: SOP for equines in hilly or mountainous terrain, 29 August 2022 ↗
5. Worked situation: compare the arrangements
Two fictional operators quote different prices. The cheaper one promises 'no delays' but gives no clear answer about animal checks, a stopping decision or help on the route. The other explains the applicable check process, identifies a responsible contact and discusses an alternative if conditions change. This information is more useful than a photograph of a decorated animal or a claim that animals are 'always happy'.
The group verifies what it can with the site’s responsible office. It still cannot certify either animal’s health. If important concerns remain unresolved, it chooses a different activity. The decision is based on whether there is a credible welfare process, not on assuming a higher price guarantees care. It records the reasons so the next organiser asks better questions.
Sources: AWBI: SOP for equines in hilly or mountainous terrain, 29 August 2022 ↗ · WOAH/OIE Terrestrial Code chapter 7.12: welfare of working equids, 2022 edition ↗
6. Support the conditions around the work
Useful community support can address an agreed bottleneck: a clear information board, waste removal around an authorised rest area or a well-organised supply delivery requested by the care team. Start with the people responsible for that space. A donated structure without permission, drainage or maintenance can become another hazard. Public support works best when ownership of upkeep is clear.
Volunteers can help prepare educational material or organise approved logistics. Animal loading, hoof work, medical decisions and equipment fitting belong with competent people. Avoid filming a distressed animal for entertainment. Where a concern needs reporting, preserve accurate facts and use the appropriate official route, keeping yourself and the surrounding people out of danger.
Sources: WOAH/OIE Terrestrial Code chapter 7.12: welfare of working equids, 2022 edition ↗
7. Follow through after the visit
A useful review asks what was promised, what actually happened and what should change. Was there pressure to hurry? Could the operator explain who made welfare decisions? Did the group respect the agreed limits? Include the group’s own behaviour rather than evaluating everyone else. This makes the next trip more responsible and gives specific feedback to organisers.
Do not announce a provider as officially approved because one visit went well. Share the dated arrangements you observed, the questions answered and the limits of your knowledge. Humane tourism is a continuing responsibility: the animal’s needs do not end when the visitor’s ticket expires.
Sources: AWBI: SOP for equines in hilly or mountainous terrain, 29 August 2022 ↗
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Review a proposed hill-route journey
- Write the route, timings, participants and transport alternatives for an illustrative trip. Identify what depends on an animal.
- Prepare four questions about professional checks, conditions, the stopping decision and alternatives. Find the responsible local office.
- Calculate the timetable’s spare time. Explain why it cannot be converted into an animal work or rest limit.
- Choose proceed, revise or replace based on the answers. Record unresolved questions and one change within your own control.
Check your understanding
Why is passenger weight alone insufficient to judge a task?
Slope, weather, surface, equipment, total workload and the animal’s condition also matter. Qualified, setting-specific assessment is needed.
A 180-minute window contains 110 minutes of travel and 35 of planned activities. What remains?
35 minutes remain. That planning margin is not a statement about safe animal working time.
Should you adjust a rubbing harness yourself?
No. Inform the responsible handler and seek competent attention; do not improvise equipment changes.
A high price is advertised as proof of kindness. Is that enough?
No. Ask about actual checks, care and stopping arrangements. Price does not independently establish welfare.
Your deadline encourages the operator to skip a safeguard. What can you change?
Change the timetable or activity. Do not make welfare depend on meeting an avoidable deadline.
Why mention the hill-route setting when sharing this lesson?
The cited AWBI procedure addresses that setting. Its arrangements should not be presented as a universal rule for every working animal.